Examination of Bromocriptine on Homeostatic and Hedonic Mechanisms of Food Intake in Individuals at High Risk for T2DM

A Multimodel Examination of Bromocriptine on Homeostatic and Hedonic Mechanisms of Food Intake in Individuals at High Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

The current project applies an integrative three-prong approach to investigate the potential of the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) agonist bromocriptine to: 1) increase homeostatic satiation signaling, 2) alter neural circuitry to reduce hedonically motivated food intake, and 3) examines a genetic predisposition that may markedly impact the effectiveness of this medication in those at high risk for T2DM.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Overweight and Obesity; Eating Behavior
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Bromocriptine-QR

Detailed Description

Twenty-nine million Americans have diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2DM), with fewer than half able to meet treatment goals and considerably more are at risk for development of T2DM. Implementation of healthy eating behavior has been identified as a barrier to T2DM treatment and efficacy. The determinants of eating behavior and weight regulation involve a complex interaction among individual-level homeostatic, hedonic, and genetic systems, and the external food environment. The high prevalence of obesity and T2DM suggests hedonic motivation to consume food overrides homeostatic satiation signaling, resulting in excess food intake. Elevated intake increases body mass and promotes T2DM incidence via dysregulation of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), amylin, and adiponectin, which in turn can negatively impact T2DM treatment options.

Use of a pharmaceutical, such as bromocriptine, to aid in behavioral change is a novel method for treating and ameliorating T2DM and warrants investigation given that previous work has shown reward response to food images mediates T2DM control. Use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques to predict and evaluate hedonically-motivated eating behavior can be used to measure sensitivity to reward, and the role it plays in developing obesity, and is therefore an excellent tool to examine the associations among bromocriptine, satiety hormones, reward sensitivity and eating behavior.

Moreover, since 20-35% of the population carries the DRD2 TaqIA A1 allele, and 65% of the population is overweight or obese and at high risk for T2DM development or currently diagnosed, as much as 23% of the population may greatly benefit from dopamine agonist treatment. Despite the possibility that bromocriptine may have robust impact on T2DM treatment or as prevention therapy in those that are genetically predisposed, few data are available that directly examine the three systems (homeostatic, hedonic, genetic) available to assess whether a genetically-informed, personalized T2DM treatment is viable.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 55
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • North Carolina
    • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599
      • University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 35 years (ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Baseline BMI between 25 and 35

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals with current fMRI contraindications (e.g., metal implants, braces)
• Probable current Axis I psychopathology (e.g., major depression disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder)
• Habitual use of cigarettes or illicit drugs
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding
• Diagnosis of serious medical problems (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke)
• Current weight loss dieting and/or weight fluctuations great than 10 lbs in the previous 6 weeks
• Do not consume dairy
• Allergy to bromocriptine, dairy, and nuts

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: DIAGNOSTIC
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: CROSSOVER
• Masking: TRIPLE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
OTHER: Bromocriptine, then Placebo; During the first intervention visit, participants receive a single dose of 1.6mg of bromocriptine (2 0.8mg capsules). Following a 2-week washout period, participants return for the second intervention visit, where they receive 2 capsules of placebo (sugar free calcium supplement) matched in shape (circle) and color (white) to bromocriptine. Both bromocriptine and placebo are administered orally.	Drug: Placebo; 2 capsules, orally administered once; Other Names: placebo (calcium supplement); Drug: Bromocriptine-QR; 1.6mg (2 0.8mg capsules), orally administered once; Other Names: quick-release (QR) bromocriptine (cycloset)
OTHER: Placebo, then Bromocriptine; During the first intervention visit, participants receive 2 capsules of placebo (sugar free calcium supplement). Following a 2-week washout period, participants return for the second intervention visit, where they receive a single dose of 1.6mg of bromocriptine (2 0.8mg capsules). Both bromocriptine and placebo are administered orally.	Drug: Placebo; 2 capsules, orally administered once; Other Names: placebo (calcium supplement); Drug: Bromocriptine-QR; 1.6mg (2 0.8mg capsules), orally administered once; Other Names: quick-release (QR) bromocriptine (cycloset)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Ad Libitum Food and Beverage Intake (g)	Ad libitum food intake of highly-palatable snacks is assessed during each intervention arm. Participants are left alone for 25 minutes to eat as much as they want from a selection of snacks (M&Ms, Skittles, Doritos, cheddar popcorn) and a chocolate milkshake. Both snacks and milkshake are pre- and post-weighed to determine ad libitum food intake.	Within 15 minutes of completion of the ad libitum period
Hedonic Ratings of Food as Measured by a Visual Analog Scale	Testing the effects of the drug on hedonic ratings (pleasantness, desire to consume) of milkshake and snacks on a scale from -100 to 100. Pleasantness was assessed by asking 'How pleasant is this taste?', with responses ranging from -100 (most unpleasant imaginable) to 100 (most pleasant imaginable). Desire to consume was assessed by asking 'How much would you want to eat/drink this?', with responses ranging from -100 (least desirable imaginable) to 100 (most desirable imaginable).	Up to 5 minutes prior to ad libitum period start
Change in Voxel-wise Blood Oxygen Level-Dependent (BOLD) Brain Activation in Response to Milkshake Anticipation and Receipt vs. Water	The fMRI paradigm assesses evoked BOLD response to cue-elicited anticipation and receipt of a milkshake and water. A region-of-interest (ROI) approach is used to assess changes in BOLD signal in the striatum. The striatal response is assessed for the two contrasts of interest: milkshake>h2o anticipation and milkshake>h2o receipt. Positive values reflect a higher striatal BOLD activation for the milkshake; negative reflects a higher striatal BOLD activation for the water. Parameter estimates of the relative BOLD response to each of these contrasts are extracted and compared between the two arms. The paradigm has 64 trials and each trial starts with the presentation of a cue for 1s signaling the impending delivery of either 3 mL of highly palatable milkshake or a control water solution over a period of 6s. Taste delivery is followed by a wait period and rinse (tasteless solution). The next trial begins after a 1-9s jitter. Order of milkshake and water trials is pseudo-randomized.	Baseline and 2 Weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Ad Libitum Food and Milkshake Intake (g) by TaqIA Allele Status (A1 vs. A2/A2)	Testing the drug by gene (TaqIA) interaction on ad libitum food intake (g).The presence of the high-risk A1 allele of the TaqIA polymorphism (rs1800497) in the DRD2 gene was determined from saliva samples and is compared to the A2/A2 variant.	Within 15 minutes of completion of the ad libitum period
Hedonic Ratings of Milkshake Pleasantness and Desire as Measured by a Visual Analog Scale by TaqIA Allele Status (A1 vs. A2/A2)	Testing the drug by gene (TaqIA) interaction on hedonic ratings (pleasantness, desire to consume) of milkshake on a scale from -100 to 100. Testing the drug by gene (TaqIA) interaction on ad libitum milkshake (g). The presence of the high-risk A1 allele of the TaqIA polymorphism (rs1800497) in the DRD2 gene was determined from saliva samples and is compared to the A2/A2 variant. Pleasantness was assessed by asking 'How pleasant is this taste?', with responses ranging from -100 (most unpleasant imaginable) to 100 (most pleasant imaginable). Desire to consume was assessed by asking 'How much would you want to eat/drink this?', with responses ranging from -100 (least desirable imaginable) to 100 (most desirable imaginable).	Up to 5 minutes prior to ad libitum period start
Change in Voxel-wise Blood Oxygen Level-Dependent (BOLD) Brain Activation in Response to Milkshake Anticipation and Receipt vs. Water by TaqIA Allele Status (A1 vs. A2/A2)	The fMRI paradigm assesses evoked BOLD response to cue-elicited anticipation and receipt of a milkshake and water. A region-of-interest (ROI) approach is used to assess changes in BOLD signal in the striatum. The striatal response is assessed for the two contrasts of interest: milkshake>h2o anticipation and milkshake>h2o receipt. Positive values reflect a higher striatal BOLD activation for the milkshake; negative reflects a higher striatal BOLD activation for the water. Parameter estimates of the relative BOLD response to these contrasts are extracted and used to test the drug by gene (TaqIA) interaction. The paradigm has 64 trials and each trial starts with the presentation of a cue signaling the impending delivery of either 3 mL of highly palatable milkshake or a control water solution over a 6s period. Taste delivery is followed by a wait period and rinse (tasteless solution). The next trial begins after a 1-9s jitter. Order of milkshake and water trials is pseudo-randomized.	Baseline and 2 Weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Collaborators: American Diabetes Association
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Kyle S Burger, MPH, RD, PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): September 19, 2017
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): September 19, 2019
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): September 19, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 31, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 31, 2022
• First Posted (ACTUAL): June 6, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): September 7, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 12, 2022
• Last Verified: May 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: obesity; overweight; dopamine agonist; food intake; eating behavior; bromocriptine; TaqIA polymorphism
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Body Weight; Overweight; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists; Dopamine Agonists; Dopamine Agents; Hormone Antagonists; Antiparkinson Agents; Anti-Dyskinesia Agents; Bromocriptine
• Other Study ID Numbers: 16-3177; 1-17-JDF-031 (OTHER_GRANT: American Diabetes Association)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Deidentified individual data that supports the results will be shared beginning 9 to 36 months following publication provided the investigator who proposes to use the data has approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB), Independent Ethics Committee (IEC), or Research Ethics Board (REB), as applicable, and executes a data use/sharing agreement with UNC.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: beginning 9 and continuing for 36 months following publication
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Investigator has approved IRB, IEC, or REB and an executed data use/sharing agreement with UNC.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: Yes